‘I have never seen that’: Padres’ win streak ends with HR called back
MIAMI — For the third straight game in this series, it looked like the Padres had tied the score against the Marlins with a late home run.
Sunday afternoon, Ha-Seong Kim ripped a line drive that appeared to bounce off the left fielder and over the fence with two outs in the ninth. Hold everything — as the umpires ordered up some video review.
Kim’s home run was overturned after the crew-chief review, and he was awarded a ground-rule double.
Miami got the final out, ending San Diego’s seven-game winning streak and avoiding a series sweep with a 7-6 victory at loanDepot park.
The Padres, trying to go 6-0 on a road trip for the first time in club history, have won 16 of 20 coming out of the All-Star break.
“The rule is if it hits the wall, hits the defender, and then goes over the wall, it’s a double,’’ manager Mike Shildt said. “I think they got it right. Whether I agree with the rule or not, it was tough timing.”
San Diego trailed early, as it had throughout the series. Miami led 5-0 after two innings before the Padres started chipping away at the deficit.
They pulled within a run on two occasions and went into the ninth down by one thanks to a pinch-hit two-run homer by Donovan Solano in the eighth.
Miami left-hander Andrew Nardi got the first two outs of the ninth before Kim ripped a laser to left. Kyle Stowers, the Marlins’ left fielder, went back to the fence, and the ball appeared to clear his outstretched glove.
The video review showed Kim’s drive hitting the top of the fence, with Stowers inadvertently knocking the ball over with his glove.
As Kim continued to be congratulated by his teammates, his home run was changed to a ground-rule double, and he was awarded second base with the tying run coming off the board.
“The ball went over the fence and didn’t hit the ground, so it feels like a home run,’’ Shildt said. “But, the rule tells you differently.”
Miami then put in righty George Soriano, and he struck out Luis Campusano to end it.
“I have never seen that,” said Luis Arraez, who was on deck for the final out of the game. “It was unlucky for Kim there; we almost tied the game. … Baseball is crazy, you know? We just compete, man. We have a great team, and we love what we do. We’re in a good spot.”
Said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker: “We lucked out at the end there. Game of inches, they say, and that was definitely a game of inches.”
Dylan Cease made his first start since only working one inning at Pittsburgh on Tuesday due to rain. Although he said he did not think rust played a part in his start Sunday, Miami jumped on him early.
In the first, the Marlins got four hits to take a 2-0 lead; Jake Burger made it 5-0 with a two-run homer in the second. Cease did not allow a hit following the home run to Burger and was lifted following the fifth.
“I didn’t think I had my best execution today, but I felt pretty normal,” said Cease, who gave up six hits and struck out five. “I got good practice in, it wasn’t like I didn’t pitch at all. It was just one of those games. I felt good going into it, I wasn’t just quite as crisp as I had been.”
The Padres made it 5-1 in the fifth, then 5-3 with a pair of groundouts from Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth in the sixth.
A double by David Peralta in the seventh pulled San Diego within a run — before Miami made it 7-4 on a two-run home run by Jesús Sánchez in the bottom of the inning.
“We never feel out of it,’’ Cease said. “It was a pretty unlucky, heartbreaking way to have it reversed. But we fought really hard this series, and we’re feeling good.’’
Solano, pinch-hitting for Cronenworth in the eighth, hit a 2-2 pitch a Statcast-projected 389 feet to left to pull San Diego back within a run. That was as close as the Padres got.
“What an effort from the group, another full-squad performance,” said Shildt, whose team flew home to open a three-game series Monday at Petco Park against the Pirates. “I am so proud of this team … they are going to compete and give us what they got. That’s plenty. It was a heck of an effort, man. Hats off to the group for the way they competed today.”